Kriee: The Desolate Red Light
by Tallest Purple
Summary: Sakura and Syaoran dissappear in a bright red flash. It's up to their daughter to save them, but is it too late?
1. Prologue

'It was a dark and stormy night.'  
"Boring," a young lady sighed. She slammed the dark brown leather bound book shut and placed in on her lap. "There has to be something half- decent to read here," she wondered. The lady, at the age of twenty, stood up, letting her long black hair swoop down over her light blue robe. He meandered past the cracking fire in the stone hearth down a vast empty hallway. It actually was a dark and stormy outside that night. It was a pity, since it was so sunny that afternoon. As she made her way down the hall, she past many old pictures kept in rustic picture frames. It mostly contained younger versions of herself with a young girl with short brown hair. She walked swiftly past those pictures, not taking any notice, into one of the open doors that the hallway held. The room was filled with books, mostly children's stories when she came to this old cabin as a child. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be living here. Her mother died just two years ago, leaving her the rather large sum of money. It was safe to say she'd never have to work again, although judging by some of the framed fashion ads showing off her latest styles, it was obvious that she wouldn't take the rest of her life lying down. She walked up to a small locked cabinet that was nailed to the wall in the back wall, somewhat hidden between two book shelves. She reached around her neck and pulled out a small, silver key. She put the key into the slot and turned it slowly. The doors opened suddenly, and with it a whiff of nostalgia. A small frown creased in her lips as she took out one of the small books. It was bound with a black, crusty leather strap. She sighed and walked out of the library, leaving the cabinet undone. On the light blue book with a cartoon cat pressed on it, there was the name Tomoyo stitched on the cover.  
She made her way back past the hallway, this time sparing a look at the pictures that decorated it. Her frown crooked into a smile as she saw her friend along with a boy standing next to her smile.  
"I wanted you to model my designs," she sighed to the picture. "Too bad it never worked out." She walked back down the hall and sat back in her big easy chair. The lock on the book snapped open, and she flipped to the last page.  
'Dear Diary,  
Today is my last day of college. It has been a mixed blessing that I got a scholarship to an American school, but I never knew that would also mean leaving my old life behind. Sakura is going to cram school, the poor thing. We promise to keep in touch, but I still worry.  
I'm going to be studying at a fashion academy in California, so luckily we won't be too far away. It will be interested in how things turn out.'  
The reading was interrupted by a loud ringing. Tomoyo lifted her head from her book and pondered where the ring came from. It started making a song tone along with it. It was her cell phone.  
"That's odd," she said to herself. "There's no reception in the mountains." She got up and walked over to her purse. "Whoever's calling must be really close by." She picked up her phone and pressed her ear up against the receiver.  
"Open you door!" somebody shouted. At first, Tomoyo was taken by shock.  
"I- I beg your pardon, who is this? May I ask who's calling?" she asked nervously.  
"Tomoyo, it's me!"  
"Excuse me?"  
"Just open the door! I'm coming by!" After that, the phone clicked and the dial tone sounded. Tomoyo placed her phone back down on the table. She looked behind her to the large wooden door that led outside. She gulped nervously and grabbed one of the iron instruments used to start fires. She opened the door quickly and found a small body resting on the doorstep. The figure looked up to Tomoyo, her striking green eyes hit Tomoyo with such a force that it could only be one person.  
"S. Sakura?" she cried. She wanted to bend down a hug her long-lost friend, but something blocked her. A small child laid in the girl's hands and was being lifted up to Tomoyo. It was wrapped in a soft, warm blanket. "What? Who is this?"  
"Please take care of my baby," she cried.  
"Sakura? You had a baby? With who?" It didn't take long for her to figure it out. The eyes were such a luscious amber that it could only belong to one person. ".Li. What happened to him?" Sakura looked to the ground.  
"He's gone," she moaned, along with wincing and grabbing her shoulder. "I don't know how to get him back, either. I've tried all my magic, but nothing seems to be working. This force is strong! Stronger than I've ever felt, and I've never even seen the force!" A sound of an explosion came from far away. Instantly, Sakura got up off the stoop and ran away into the forest that surrounded the humble cabin.  
"Sakura!" Tomoyo called after her. She looked down at the baby and held her tightly. Then, she ran after her. The brush of the forest rubbed up against her face, but she didn't care. Her number one priority was keeping the baby safe. Suddenly, a loud shriek came from the west. Tomoyo switched direction and followed her voice. Suddenly, there was a bright red flash. Tomoyo reached a clearing that she had never noticed before just in time to see Sakura, frozen by a red glow, slowly fade away. "Sakura!" she cried again. The baby started to cry madly. "Oh, no, no, no!" she said quickly. "Don't cry, don't cry. Everything will be okay." She wasn't sure if she was trying to console the baby or herself. Another evil had befallen the once safe world, and the only Card Captor and able Clow descendent had vanished. The baby's crying distracted her attention again. This was their child. She had the power of the Clow and the magic of the card embedded in her.  
Tomoyo's thoughts moved to what this force was. She wished she had the magic in her, so she could sense if she were in any danger. The baby, however, had quit crying.  
"I guess everything is alright for now," she mused. She looked back up at the clearing that appeared when Sakura disappeared, but the trees that normally occupied that space had returned. "I wish I had my camera," she pouted.  
  
~*~  
  
Tomoyo placed the baby on her bed. Slowly, she unraveled the cloth. The baby was dressed in some small, pink footsy pajamas.  
"So you're a girl," Tomoyo sighed. The baby was so tired over the night's excitement that she was dead asleep. Along with the baby, some other surprises came along with it. "The Book of Clow?" she gasped. The seal was shut again. Sakura must have sealed them up again so whatever was out there couldn't get their hands on it. So if Clow Reeds magic wasn't the problem, who did cause Sakura and Li to disappear? Thousands of questions circled Tomoyo's head, but all thought was lost when a small hiccup and gurgled crying caught her attention. Quickly, Tomoyo picked up the baby and patted her on the back. After a few minutes, the baby burped. She placed her back on her bed, realizing that she was wearing a necklace. "What's this?" she asked, picking up the charm off the baby. It was the Sakura's star wand as a key. She stared in shock, and examined it closely. Indeed, this was the real thing. On the back, she noticed a small engraving. "Kriee?" she read questioningly. The baby giggled happily. "Oh, Kriee. Is that your name?" She happily bent down and tickled the little girl's toes. All too soon, a wet puddle formed on Tomoyo's bedspread. Kriee continued laughing while Tomoyo picked her up. "Great, now I have to clean the sheets," she grumbled, then her face lit up. "And make you some new clothes! This will be just like old times!" Happily, she picked up the baby Kriee and skipped away with the book and key to the basement. That's where some of her older inventions were held. Just like old times. 


	2. High School Blues

"Kriee!" Tomoyo shouted. "Kriee wake up! You'll be late [i]again[/i]!" After a few minutes, Kriee still hadn't come down from upstairs. Infuriated, Tomoyo marched upstairs and banged on the door. "I will not have you miss your first day of school, Kriee! Wake up now!"  
"Snooze!" a small voice came from inside. "Snooze!" Tomoyo cringed and opened the door.  
"No! No snooze button today." She walked over and pulled the sheets off the bed. A mid-sized female body was curled on the mattress. The yellow pajamas matched the yellow sheets, along with the yellow walls and everything yellow in the room. The only thing that stood out was her hair, which was dark brown. It was short, about shoulder length, with beads wrapped around her bangs that dangled in front of her ears.  
"It's so cold," she trembled.  
"Don't give me that! It would be inexcusable for a girl to miss her first day of public school!" The motivation of meeting new people opened the young girl's eyes. Ever since she could remember, Tomoyo had been her tutor though middle school. Now, it was her first day of high school, and she'd be on her own. She lived in Tomoyo's cabin since she was a baby, when her parents died when their car swerved on a bridge and fell into the water. From what Tomoyo said, they were never found again. Kriee never took it personally, though. Since she never knew her parents, she felt no real loss losing them. Tomoyo left the room so Kriee could get dressed. The girl stumbled from her bed and opened her closet. It was filled with interesting clothes, mostly yellow and blue, and awkward boots and shoes lined the bottom. They were all designed and hand-made by Tomoyo, so every one was unique. She decided to do what she did every morning. Kriee lifted her left hand and covered her eyes, and used her right to pick out an outfit and shoes. She opened her eyes to reveal her prize. It was a yellow dress that went up to about the thighs, so it was really short, but it was one of her favorites. There was a blue hollow star on the chest. As for the shoes, just her blue boots with yellow buckles that needed some serious shining. Quickly, she threw off her pajamas and slipped on the dress. It was a little shorter than she remember. Perhaps she was growing out of it. She slowly pulled the zipper up in the back, leading up to her neck, where her most favorite of accessories laid. It was a choker with a key charm on it. It wasn't like most plastic accessories that she owned, since it wasn't made from plastic at all. It wasn't made from steel or nickel either, in fact, Kriee didn't know what it was made out of. The coolest thing about it was that her name was engraved on it. Tomoyo mentioned something about it being a gift from her mother before she died. She didn't seem to talk about it much, so there was probably nothing special about it. However, Kriee didn't like the yellow star on the grip.  
After putting on her clothes, she walked downstairs. A full breakfast was waiting for her at the table with waffles and pancakes along with milk and orange juice.  
"Tomoyo!" Kriee whined. "How do you expect me to eat all of this?"  
"Eat up, you'll need your strength," she recommended. "I remember high school. It was very hard for your mother, we don't want to send you the cram school, now do we?" Tomoyo always used cram school as a threat. She would always tell Kriee horror stories of what that extra school was like, even though she knew she was way too smart to have ever gone. Even though all the stories were fake, she still didn't want to go.  
Breakfast was delicious, as always. Kriee stretched against and rubbed some of the sleepiness out of her eyes.  
"What time is it?" she asked in mid-yawn. Tomoyo patted her mouth with her napkin and placed on the side of her plate.  
"It's eight forty-five," she said leisurely.  
"Eight forty-five? Ma-chan, school starts in fifteen minutes!" she shouted. Quickly, she jumped out of her chair and ran towards the counter where her yellow star backpack laid. "How am I supposed to get there in time?" she asked, snatching the backpack and running towards the door. She opened it up to her own shock, and saw a black super-stretch limo waiting for her.  
"One of my chaperones will drive you," Tomoyo answered.  
"Tomoyo! I don't want to drive in a limo! People will laugh!" Kriee cried nervously.  
"Nonsense! Everything will be just fine. Now, get in the car. You don't want to be late for your first day, do you?"  
Kriee mumbled something under her breath and walked to the limo. The chauffer held the door open for her and she walked in and sat on the seat. It was a pretty big sitting area, but it seemed so empty without someone else sitting with her. Kriee sighed and tried to nap, but it did no good. She turned on the television that in the corner to see if there was anything interesting on, but it was mostly just courtroom TV and morning talk shows. Defeated, she turned the television off and sat in silence. Suddenly, there was an abrupt stop and the window separating the driver from the passenger opened.  
"We're hear, but I believe school has already started, so you may be a few minutes-" Before he could continue, Kriee had already hopped out of the car and ran down the sidewalk to the school.  
"Late, late, late! How could I have been late for my first day!" she whined. She rushed down the hallway with incomparable speed to the office. The lady at the desk looked up at her.  
"Are you hear for a late pass?" she asked, eyeballing Kriee's strange apparel.  
"My name is Kinomoto Kriee," she said nervously, bowing slightly. "It is my first day in a public school, and I believe my guardian told me I needed to pick up a schedule from the front office." The lady gave her a stern look and filed through a list of names. Swiftly, she pulled out Kriee's schedule and handed it to her.  
"You first class is with Mr. Kaneda. You had better hurry. It despises tardiness." Kriee gulped and back slowly away from the office. Once out, she continued her run to her first class. It was in room 238, so it had to be on the second floor. By the time she found the room, the door was already shut.  
"What do I do?" Kriee asked herself. Did she knock? She would probably disturb the whole class from their studies. Did she open the door quietly and sneak into a desk in the back? That would be disrespectful. Nervously, she lifted her hand and tapped the door silently. Moments passed, and Kriee was afraid that maybe no one had heard her and she's have to knock again. The door creaked open and a young girl's face appeared in the crack.  
"May I help you?" she asked.  
"Um, my name is Kinomoto Kriee," she faltered, still bowing. "I believe this is my first period class. May I come in?" The girl nodded slowly and opened the door just enough so that Kriee could slip through. She dusted some of the wood that chipped off the door away from her dress and looked up. The entire congregation of the classroom was staring at her. The teacher, obviously upset from her tardy, tried to maintain a positive look.  
"Class, this is our new student," he checked his clipboard with a list of the student's names, "Kinomoto. This is her first day at a public school, and I expect you to be on your best behavior."  
"Go back to wherever you came from!" an anonymous person shouted.  
"Look at the way she dresses, she's such a freak," a girl in the corner said to her friend. Instantly, the classroom began to shake with laughter. Kriee looked around nervously; tears were beginning to swell in her eyes. She scanned the room looking for a place to sit, but the only seat remaining was a rickety old wooden one in the back corner. Kriee sighed and sat there. Once Kriee was settled, the class calmed down and the teacher started his lecture. She found it hard to concentrate with the students constantly looking back at her and giggling. Suddenly, and loud ring shook the halls and Kriee covered her ears. She knew something about this bell. It meant that class was over, and it was time to proceed to the next one. She shuffled through her papers and found her schedule, and continued on her way.  
School continued pretty much the same. Students wouldn't stop finding something to mock at. The way she dressed, her shoes, her hair, these students could find any reason to make fun of her. It was lunch period, so Kriee had to find somewhere to eat. By the time she found her way to the picnic tables in the courtyard, all of the seats were taken. Everyone wouldn't stop staring at her and snickering to her friends. She sighed and sat on one of the cement benches in the sun. All of the others in the shade were taken as well. She opened her backpack and pulled out a sack lunch. It was sweet rice balls and soup in a thermos, Kriee's favorite.  
"Look at that!" she heard a girl say from a table closest to her. "Her mommy wrote her name on her lunch!" Kriee looked up at her. She had blonde hair, just like every other girl she had encountered so far. Now that she thought about it, all of the girls wore the same outfit. It was a red plaid skirt and vest with a white puffy shirt under it. This school probably had a uniform policy. It looked nothing like what Kriee wore. She didn't look like any of the other girls there. Now she'd have to buy a uniform and she wouldn't be able to wear the comfortable clothes Tomoyo made for her. She looked nervously down at her rice ball and tried to fight the tears.  
"Aw, the little baby's going to cry!" another girl teased.  
"Leave me alone," Kriee sniffed.  
"What was that? I couldn't hear anything over the little baby's crying!" she mocked again. Kriee stiffened up and glared sternly at the table of girls.  
"I said, leave-"  
"Leave her alone!" a young man shouted. He stood between the opposing groups and crossed his arms.  
"I expected more from you, Peko," he grumbled.  
"Oh, please. I was just having a little fun," the leader giggled sweetly and batted her eyes a few times.  
"At someone else's expense," he sighed, and turned towards Kriee. "Just ignore them. They treat all girls this way." He bowed softly and looked up at her. "My name is Kaneda Asura."  
"Kaneda? That's my first period teacher's name!"  
"I know," he answered. "I'm his son." He stood up straight. Asura was a decently handsome in his uniform, which was a dark blue suit and a red plaid tie, which was currently undone. His hair was fussy and brown, but there were hints of red highlights in it, too.  
"You're not from around here, are you?"  
"Well, technically, yes," he started, sitting down next to Kriee. "My grandparents moved from Japan to America, and when I was a baby, my parents decided to move back to Japan so my father could be a teacher. I got no complaints."  
"Wow. I've never been to America before."  
"Really? I guess it's the same for me, since I never remembered anything about America in the first place. Have ever been overseas?"  
"I went to a fashion show in Britain with my step-mother, but other than that, no."  
"A fashion show? Who was modeling?"  
"Just Gucci and Versace, plus some of my step-mom's models."  
"You step-mom has a fashion line? Who is she?"  
"Daidouji Tomoyo," she answered. There was a loud shriek from the girl table.  
"Your mom is the great Daidouji Tomoyo?" Peko shouted.  
"Step-mom," Kriee corrected, not really wishing to speak to the group, who decided suddenly to become her best friend.  
"That's so cool! Do you want to come to my slumber party this Friday?" Before Kriee could answer, Asura stepped in.  
"Kriee, this is my sister, Peko," he said, pointing to the girl standing in the middle of the huddle around Kriee. Instantly, one of the girls standing next to Peko moved in front of Asura. She was the one that called her a little baby earlier.  
"I'm Densi," she said harshly. "I'm Asura's girlfriend."  
"Oh," Kriee commented, blushing slightly. "You have a girlfriend."  
"[i]Ex[/i]girlfriend," Asura alliterated. Densi huffed and stepped aside.  
"So," Peko began, stepping in front of her disgruntled friend, "are you wearing one of Daidouji outfits? I've never seen it before."  
"No, Tomoyo doesn't like me wearing her outfits that are modeled publicly. She made this especially for me."  
"You mean Daidouji took time out of her day to make you something," Densi tisked. "I don't believe it."  
"She makes all my clothes. She also says that wearing competition designs would make her look bad."  
"How exciting!" Peko squealed. "Do you think we could ever meet her?"  
"I don't know," she began, looking towards Asura for support.  
"Girls, why don't you step aside? She's new here." All but Peko and Densi nodded in agreement and left.  
"I don't see why she needs the special treatment. Surely you've been to a real school before," Densi commented.  
"Well, no, not really," Kriee answered meekly.  
"I was tutored by Tomoyo-san until now. It would be illegal for her to tutor me for high school credit. I've never actually been to a school before period."  
"I'm sure you'll like things here," Asura said proudly.  
"Yes, definitely!" Peko added. She seemed a lot more cooperative since she told her she lived under the same roof as Tomoyo. Dense groaned and looked down the courtyard to the vending machines.  
"Hey, Asura-chan! I'm going to the vending machines! Would you like to with me?" she flirted.  
"Their just over there," he shrugged. "Can't you just go by yourself?" Densi was infuriated. She harrumphed and stormed out of the courtyard and into the school.  
"Is she always like this?" Kriee asked.  
"Always. It's one of a few reasons why I broke up with her," he sighed, turning towards Kriee. "Now I spend most of my time searching for Miss Right."  
"Of course he does," Peko mumbled under her breath. She took a seat next to Kriee and smiled at her warmly.  
"I'm sorry if I came off as rude early on. First impressions are always important, and I guess I screwed mine up."  
"Don't worry about it," Kriee said. It appeared that Peko had some raw human emotion in her after all. "Forgive and forget, right?" She held out her hand so that Peko could shake it.  
"Erm, right," she faltered, lifting her hand and shaking Kriee's loosely.  
"That's what I like to see," Asura said happily, placing his hands on Kriee's and Peko's shoulder. As he did, the bell rung loudly again.  
"Great, time for next period," Kriee heaved. "Will you meet me at my locker after school?" she asked.  
"Of course!" Asura answered. "We'll be there!" She nodded and left the courtyard. Asura's friend countenance faded as soon as Kriee was well out of sight. He turned towards Peko with a serious face.  
"You sensed it, too?" Peko asked.  
"Yes, and did you notice the key on her necklace? She has to be the one."  
"Her? But she doesn't seem worthy! Her magic is half that of ours!"  
"Hush! We have to guard her with our life! If something bad should happen to her like her parents-"  
"Don't remind me," Peko shivered.  
"Exactly. Her magic may be week now, but it will reach it's peak soon. Until then, we are to not let her out of our sight!"  
"Should we talk to Tomoyo-san, since she knows about the cards and the Clow? I mean, she actually [i]saw[/i] Sakura disappear before her very eyes!"  
"That would seem like the wiser choice," Asura mused, looking towards the sky. "However, this Tomoyo has kept records of Sakura's battles as a Card Captor on video record. If we drag her into this, opposing forces might find out and get the tapes, thus finding the secret to the Card Captor power."  
"The key." Peko sighed. "Exactly, and the book. This is entirely different from anything I've ever had to face. We're not battling some nondescript card that can be captured, this is an actual evil presence that's at fault for all of this. We don't even know how strong it is!" "It could be some amateur witchcraft. It's happened before, mind you. Some sorcerer wannabe got into magic too hot to handle and it got beyond control." "We can't be too careful on this one, though. We're dealing with the blood and bones of Card Captor and Clow." By now all of the students had left the courtyard and the final bell rung. "We're late," Peko reminded. "Father will be upset." With that, the two split to their different classes. 


	3. The Track Trek

(AN) Thanks to everyone for reviewing! My stories have had histories of being bombs. Nobody would read them. v_v; Your reviews are what keeps me going!  
  
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Kriee sat up and tried to pay attention during art class. It was difficult, thought, since all they were learning was how to shade right. "Tomoyo taught me this when I was five," Kriee moaned. Everything that was being taught was a topic she already excelled in. She looked up at the clock. It would be at least another four hours before school was let out again. She sighed again and continued shading with her pencil. Art was over, along with English and math. Next was gym. Kriee never had to take a gym credit with Tomoyo. She warily walked into the huge gymnasium. Kriee had never seen a room so big! There were basketball hoops on both ends and the wooden floor had foreign markings on it. She stood in awe as she studied the bright lights on the ceiling. Suddenly, she was bumped in the back. "Oh, goodness! I'm sorry!" Kriee turned around and met the face of a young girl. She must have fallen to the ground. Her hair was abnormally dark brown, unlike most of the other girls at the school. She looked up at her, revealing some large, obsolete glasses, but they looked good on her. "Don't worry about it," Kriee sighed, helping her up. "What's the hurry, anyway?" Her questioned was answered for her when a plethora of children ran past her. "Gah! What was all that about!" she screamed as the last of the kids passed by. "Coach has a rule that the last person that arrives has to run another lap while everyone watches!" she cried. Swiftly, she dodged away from Kriee and took her seat on the gym floor. There was silence for the next few minutes. Kriee remained dumbfounded in front of the gym doors all that time. A door near the entrance opened, and an old, gruff man walked out. "You're late," he mumbled to Kriee. She jumped to attention and nervously glanced at the students. Some of they were laughing at her, most were trying to contain themselves. "I'm sorry, sir," Kriee said. "I'm new here, and I'm not caught up on what I have to do yet. I don't have a uniform, you see, and-" "An extra lap for you." "But sir, I just told you I have no idea what's going on!" "Sure she doesn't!" a guy shouted from the class. The other students ensued on laughing on Kriee's behalf. "Enough!" Kriee looked up and saw Asura stand up from the mass of students. "Asura? You're in my class?" Kriee said more to herself than to anybody in earshot. "Coach, it really isn't fair to put this poor judgment on her. Today is her first day and she has not yet become accustomed to the way things work here. Please, allow me one day to show her how things work here and tomorrow you can count here late if you believe it should be so." Kriee noticed the coach's eye twitch slightly. He turned stubbornly. "Take a seat next to Kaneda," he grumbled. Kriee nodded slowly and quickly sprinted to the empty spot next to Asura. "Thank you," she mouthed as she dusted the floor and took a spot on it. Asura nodded in response and turned to the front of the gym where the teacher was taking his place. "Now, in commemoration of our new student's arrival, how about a nice mile jog around the track.?" he said in a freakishly happy manner. Kriee's hand instantly jolted upwards. "I'm sorry to disturb class again, but I don't have a gym uniform to wear. Do you have clothes and possibly shoes I can use?" "A thousand apologies, but I already gave out all of the spare uniforms today." Kriee sighed and placed her arm back down. This meant she'd have to run in her dress and boots. As the class stood up and walked out the gym and to the track, they spared no expense in cursing her for arriving to their school.  
  
"Just one more lap, Kriee!" Asura yelled above the noise. Kriee was the only one running on the track. She had already tripped five times, two on her own fault and three from children throwing sticks in the way as she passed by. "Could you go any slower?" a girl shouted. "We want to go inside!" another yelled. Kriee bit her lip and kept on running, only now it was a small jog. All motivation leaked out of her body, and she stopped. She stood in a daze before she collapsed to the ground. "What are you slowing down for? Keep running so we can play volleyball!" a different girl yelled. "Kriee!" Asura shouted. He ran over to her aid and lifted her off the ground. Her face was scraped a little, but other than that, no physical damage was present. "Is she okay?" someone asked from behind him. He turned to see his sister looking from behind the fence. "Peko!" Asura shouted. "What are you doing here?" "It's my off period," she sighed, otherwise known as study hall. She jumped the fence and looked down at Kriee. "What happened." "She passed out from exhaustion. We need to get her to the nurse." "That's all? The girl can't even run a mile?" "Hush!" Asura snapped at her in brotherly conduct. He picked her up and put her in Peko's arms. "You take her to the nurse and I'll explain this to the coach." "Good luck trying to explain anything to that prick! He always acts like a poll got shoved up his-" "Peko, leave now! She needs attention!" Asura rushed. Peko nodded and ran off towards the school building just in time for the coach to run up in front of him. "What was the meaning of that? She wasn't through running laps yet!" "Sir, she fainted! She couldn't finish running if her will was put into it!" Asura fought back. "Once the school board realizes how hard you push your students, they'll fire you for sure!" "Is that a threat?" the coach countered, drawing in on the muscle-deprived Asura. He returned with the same glare, until the coach realized that the other children were looking. Asura did have the upper hand on this fight. The coach growled menacingly, backed away, and slowly walked back towards the gymnasium. The other kids followed and gave Asura scared looks. It took someone brave to stand up to the testosterone-ridden man. He sighed longingly and took his place amongst the other students. 


	4. Beans, Beets, and Swordfish

"Kriee? Kriee are you okay?" she heard someone ask. Slowly, her eyes cracked open and the blurred vision of a girl with long, blonde hair stood over her.  
"Peko?" Kriee coughed. She sat up abruptly and started coughing.  
"No, no, no! You should lie down!" Peko said quickly, slowly laying Kriee back on a cot.  
"Where am I?" Kriee mumbled. "You are in the hospital wing. While you were running in gym class, you became overheated and fainted." "And Asura rescued me!" Kriee ended. "You remember," Peko commented happily. "For a second I thought that it could have been a small stroke." "It wasn't a stroke," the nurse interrupted. He stepped through a fabric curtain blocking out the other patients that had come in that day. He was actually a strong, burly man to be a nurse. "She was really fatigued and couldn't handle the rest of the run." Kriee and Peko gave the nurse their full attention. "Anyways, I call yer mother. She should be here any moment, I reckon." "She's not my mom," Kriee garbled. However, she was overrun by Peko's excitement. "Daidouji Tomoyo is going to be here!" Peko squealed. "Correction: Daidouji Tomoyo [i]is[/i] here." A middle-aged woman walked through the curtains. Her hair was jet black and long. She wore a sweet. modest outfit of a blue summer dress with yellow flowers. Kriee liked that dress. "Hi, Ma-chan," Kriee said lowly. She really didn't want her step-mother to be here, seeing as it would only attract more attention to herself. Peko was so excited that she couldn't move, much less think. "What happened? I got a phone call saying that you fainted while running laps!" "Yep. Yer daughter suffered a pretty bad fall, but I patched 'er up right." Kriee took this time to notice the stabbing pain coming from her arm. There was a cotton bandage wrapped tightly from her forearm to her shoulder. Tomoyo turned towards the nurse cheerfully. "Oh, are from Britain?" she asked in English. "O'ay, how'd yeh guess?" he asked happily. Kriee wasn't too fluent in her English, yet, but Peko seemed to be catching every word. "Oh, that's right. Lil' girly over here told me that meh patient's mother was the famous Daidouji." "What are they saying?" Kriee whispered to Peko. "Our nurse is from Britain. It's just a formal introduction," she answered quickly. "I'm going to Britain over the summer. My show is going to be held there," Tomoyo added. "Really? No kiddin'? I'll be going there myself to visit meh mum." "That's nice," Tomoyo said kindly, then turning her attention back to Kriee. "Would you mind me asking what happened?" she asked back in Japanese. "Not at all! My guess is that she's not a seasoned runner, and taking to a mile for her first time wasn't the best of ideas." "It wasn't my fault! The coach made me do it! He wouldn't even let me borrow the proper shoes." "I know, I know. I'll be contacting the coach on that; make sure he don't push you too hard, s'all. Anyways, the poor girl must've tuckered out on her last lap and couldn't take it. She needs to be taken home, school's not a good place for her right now." "But it's just my first day!" Kriee contradicted. "I want to stay!" To prove her point, she jumped out of the cot and faltered into Peko's arms. "Not in this condition," Peko said. Kriee sighed and hobbled back to the bed. "It's not fair," she said under her breath. "A lot of things in the world aren't fair, but I'm sure things will be better when you get home and have a nice rest," Tomoyo reassured.  
  
Kriee went back to Tomoyo's cottage with much detest. All the way home, she kept the same, dank glower out the window. When she got to her room, Tomoyo ordered that she get to bed quickly try to sleep so she could regain her strength. Kriee huffed and sat on her bed, mostly just thinking about how things went so horribly wrong. She tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position. The thoughts still crossed her mind how the whole school laughing at her and mocking the way she dressed and acted. Slowly, she reached across her bed to a small table which lay her cell phone. She pressed a speed dial button and the numbers instantly dialed in. There was a small ringing tone twice until a small voice answered. "Mushi mushi," Tomoyo answered. "Kriee, I told you to stay in bed." At first, Kriee was shocked that Tomoyo knew it was her, then she silently cursed the caller ID. "Um, I will. I just wanted to tell you that my school requires a uniform." "I know. I've already started making it." Upon hearing this, Kriee sat up and stared to her closet nervously. "You're [i]making[/i] my school uniform? Are you sure that's wise?" "Of course! Why not? You love the clothes I sew for you." "I know, I know. Just try to not add to much to it, okay?" "Don't worry about it. It's going to be perfectly normal!" There was a small click on the other end of the receiver and Kriee placed the phone back down on the table. Tomoyo's version of 'normal' can sometimes be distorted with her freakishly popular fashion sense. Sighing, Kriee laid back on her bed and slowly fell asleep.  
  
When she woke up, she felt better one hundred fold. She stood up and stretched, realizing how sore her legs were. All that running must have gotten the best of her. She stumbled out of her room and downstairs to the atrium. Tomoyo sat on the long table in the dining room eating her dinner. "Oh, good evening Kriee," she said happily. "I didn't expect to see you up so soon. I'll have the chef prepare you something nice." Upon saying this, a waiter walked up and took Tomoyo's order on what Kriee should eat. The thing about Tomoyo's house is that it was never empty. She kept seven maids in the house at all times along with three butlers, one waiter (two to three on special events), and a secretary. The waiter soon left as Kriee took her seat on the opposite side of the table from Tomoyo. "I ordered you something healthy so you can get your strength back." "Thanks," Kriee said to the tabletop. "And I also finished making the designs for your uniform." At this, Kriee perked up. "Designs?" she asked in a panicked fashion. "No, Tomoyo, there are no designs for a basic school-girl costume. What did you change?" she demanded. "Nothing big. Trust me, you'll blend in just like every other kid at school," Tomoyo sighed. "Thank you," Kriee answered with an exasperated sigh. "The last thing I need right now is standing out of the crowd." "Are you listening to what you're saying?" Tomoyo asked. "If you were only there today. Everyone laughed at me because I was different. I was ridiculed in front of every class! I never want that to happen again." "Touya is coming over tomorrow," said Tomoyo, trying to change the subject. Kriee looked away from the wooden tabletop happily. "Really?" "Yes. He said he was going to drop by and give you your birthday present." "But my birthday was three months ago!" "I know, but I remember him telling you he forgot. He's visiting Tokyo and decided to go ahead and drop it off. He might come by after school, he said." "Really? So soon? I have to clean my room! Tell the maids to do a better job mopping the living room. I'll vacuum the den. Of course the bathtub needs a good scrubbing and -" "Kriee, don't worry. He's not staying long. Besides, the living room is spotless, the den is perfect, and I don't think Touya has to worry whether the bathtub has spots in it or not -which it doesn't- so don't worry so much." Kriee's dinner arrive which consisted of green beans, another vegetable, and some sort of raw meat. "Ma-chan, if you don't mind me asking, what is this?" "I read it in a magazine. The green beans help blood circulation, diced beets are supposed to help the heart, and raw swordfish supports the visibility in the eyes and memory cells in the brain." "Are you sure you read that right," Kriee asked, poking the swordfish in question. "Just eat then go back to sleep. I promise you'll fell better in the morning." 


	5. Carpooling

AN- Sorry it took me so long to get off my butt and get new chapters humming. Any reviews you send my way will be wicked awesome. I guess now is a good a time as any to point out that I DON'T OWN CARD CAPTOR SAKURA OR ANY RELATING CHARACTERS. I do own Asura, Peko, Densi, and any other character you might find in upcoming chapters that I forgot to mention. Anyways, on with the story.  
  
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Kriee woke up with a start. She had a hard time getting to sleep last night, so she was very groggy. She leaned up in bed and rubbed her eyes. While getting adjusted to the light shining though her window, she noticed a new set of clothing laying on her desk chair. It was the blue plaid vest that she was supposed to wear for her uniform, except there was an addition of the same plaid tuxedo tails with big silver bells tied on the end. The white blouse seemed normal, but the skirt was hiked up more than it was supposed to be. Her white socks went all the way up to her thighs just below the skirt trim, rather than loosely around the ankles like all the other girl's uniforms. The shoes, instead of being small and sleek, were huge and clunky. Kriee tried to resist the urge to scream at Tomoyo for destroying her uniform. However, the thought of Tomoyo taking time out of her busy schedule to hand-make a series of uniforms for her was touching. She decided to wear them to humor her for a few days. She threw off her yellow pajamas and slipped into her uniform. It was surprisingly comfortable. As she left her room for dinner, she grabbed her key choker and shut the door. "Tomoyo-san!" Kriee called as she sprinted down the stairs. She turned around the banister and skipped into the kitchen where Tomoyo was eating on the counter-buffet. "Oh, you're wearing my outfit!" she said happily. "Do you like the shoes?" Kriee looked down at her feet. "Sure, I suppose," she said slowly. "You didn't notice? Look at the sole!" Kriee lifted her food and noticed two embedded wheels in the rubber heel and toe. "Roller skates?" "Yes, you will be taking the city bus from now on. It stops a few blocks away from your school, so I figured it would be faster if you skated there." "The city bus?" Kriee asked with a panicked tone in her voice. "B- But I don't even know how to skate!" "It's easy, just click your heels together." Kriee snapped her heels once, and the buttons on the inside touched, causing some springs to release inside the soles and the wheels instantly popped up. Taken off guard, Kriee kicked her feet trying to regain her balance, but ultimately plummeted to the ground. "It just takes a little practice," Tomoyo said a second too late as she sipped her coffee. "Are you sure you're ready to go to school today?" "I'm positive! I bet I'll breeze right through today!" she said happily. "Just as long as nobody makes fun of me again," she added quickly. Kriee poked the wheels back in their places and grabbed her bag. "The bus will be here soon, yes?" Tomoyo looked casually at the wall clock while Kriee fiddled with the buckle holding her bag shut. "Five minutes." "Good," Kriee sighed. She checked her clothes to make sure they were straight and her hair was brushed just right. "I'm going to head to the bus stop. Wish me luck!" Without waiting for a reply, she rushed out the door and down the walkway. The street that let up to their house was a makeshift dirt boulevard. She ran up the street until it intersected with a real black graveled road. She knew the bus stop at the corner was there, she just never used it. Kriee was shocked when she saw the bus already there with its sliding doors shutting. The hiss of the breaks letting off ensued and the bus slowly rolled away. "Wait!" Kriee shouted. She instantly sprinted on the sidewalk doing her best to catch up with the already speeding bus. "No! Wait for me!" A sprite of anger possessed her when she saw some of the students looking out the back window laughing. "Stop!" she called, but nothing helped. Finally, she gave up and stopped running. The bus soon disappeared over the horizon. In despair, Kriee threw her head back and tried to fight back tears. "Dammit," she sighed. A few cars drove by, including one full of guys that went to a different nearby academy whooping and whistling at her. She continued walking to school, thinking that she might be able to make it to second period if she started sooner. More cars drove by, but she heard a low engine roar behind her. She glanced behind her quickly, taking note of a black car from behind that sped up next to her. "Hey, Kinomoto!" the driver called. Upon hearing her name, she looked next to her and saw Asura driving a rather beat-up old black convertible. "Kaneda-kun!" she said happily. "What are you doing on the side of the street?" "I missed my bus. It came too early, so I was late." "You mean that bus?" he asked, pointing to one that just whizzed past them. Kriee gasp as she saw it drive by. That first bus that she missed must have been for the other academy, the one that those rude boys must go to. She gasped and cupped her hands over her mouth. Now she had to run and catch up with the other bus. "Kaneda, would you mind giving me a ride to school?" "Hai," he replied, leaning over and opening the door from the inside. Kriee happily jumped in and Asura continued driving. "I didn't know you could drive," she said, trying to make pleasant conversation. He was a junior, after all, so the look of him driving shouldn't have been much of a shock. "This is actually Peko's car. She let me borrow it." "Really? Where is Peko?" "She decided to take the bus today," he said, nodding towards the bus Kriee was supposed to get on that they were approaching. She wondered if Peko had seen her getting into Asura's car. Or worst yet, if any of the other students did. They probably thought she was a hooker or something. "You have a pretty necklace," Asura said, breaking the silence between them. Kriee blinked twice and then looked down. "Oh, my choker!" she said. "Yeah, it's pretty," he repeated. "Where did you get a charm like that?" Kriee reached up to her neck and felt the outline of the star key in her grip. "I really don't know. I've had it since I was little. Tomoyo says it was a gift my real mom before she died." "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know she passed away. Forget I brought it up-" "Don't worry about it. I don't really care much about my parents since I never knew them." There was another spot of silence before Asura decided to talk again. "Nice to see you're dressed in uniform," he said happily. Kriee turned her attention from the key to her new outfit. "I like the bells, especially." "Thanks," Kriee said slowly. There was more silence as they reached the school. "Are you feeling better today? I hope you're more prepared for track than yesterday." Kriee's face flushed as they pulled into Peko's assigned parking spot. "Oh, no! I forgot to ask Tomoyo for gym uniforms! The kids in gym are going to laugh at me again!" she cried. Asura sighed and turned the car off. "Don't worry about it. I'll find you a uniform." He hopped out of the car without bothering to open the door. "Thanks," Kriee sighed. "I don't know what I'd do today without you." "Think nothing of it," he mumbled while digging though his bag. He pulled out an apple and munched on it freely. "I'll see you at lunch, kay?" he asked as bits of apple spat out of his mouth. Kriee nodded and marched towards the freshman wing. Most of the students just walked past her, not noticing any bright yellow dress or bold blue boots. This was her chance to make a second first impression. She walked into her first period class happily and sat down. One of the girls that sat diagonally from her glanced behind her. The guy sitting next to her did the same. 'They must notice how I look like everyone else,' Kriee said happily. Soon, all the other kids filed in and the bell rang. A few moments later, the teacher walked in carrying his briefcase and coffee mug. "Sorry I'm late," he said numbly. "Get your books out from under your desk, turn to page 348, and start your lesson. You have fifteen minutes and not a second more." With that, he sat on his desk and started grading papers. 'So that's Kaneda's father,' she sighed. She didn't spend to much time picking up his personal traits yesterday since she didn't know that he was Asura's dad. He seemed rather strict, but he still had a sense of kindness in his eyes as he gracefully gave a 'D' to a horribly written essay. She reached under her desk and withdrew her book. After studying the few pages carefully, she wrote her answers carefully and looked up when she was through. Nobody had turned in their papers yet. Kriee was cautious when she got up and stealthily navigated her way passed the desks. She reached Mr. Kaneda's desk without knocking anyone's books off or tripping over any bags. He looked up at her as she placed her paper on her desk. Before she turned to go back, Mr. Kaneda looked up at her and coughed silently. He pointed to a particular spot on his cheek, and Kriee did the same. She suddenly felt something wet yet crusty on her cheek. She plucked it off and found out that a huge chunk of Asura's apple had flung onto her face while he was talking to her. There was also another piece on the side of her nose as well as a spot at the end of her eyebrow. She scraped it off quickly and spared a thankful glance at her teacher before turning around. Some of the kids were laughing; the ones who obviously saw it before she did. Kriee blushed violently and took her spot in the back of the class in the old, wooden, rickety desk. 


	6. Race to Lunch

Meep! It's been so long! I'll try to update on a regular schedule!  
  
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The first half of the day passed without fail. Finally, it was lunch. Kriee happily opened her locker and shoved her bag inside. She reached up to the small shelf at the top of her locker and pulled out her lunch. As she shut her locker, she turned to go to the courtyard, but was interrupted by running into someone.  
  
"Kinomoto!" she said angrily. Kriee looked up and saw, none other than, Densi. "Oh, hi," Kriee said meekly.  
  
"What do you think you were doing this morning?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You manipulated my dear Asura-chan into being your personal chauffeur!" she cried.  
  
"I what? No, no, that's true! Kaneda-kun offered me a ride!" Kriee said in her defense. Densi must have noticed Kriee getting into Peko's car that Asura was driving as the bus was driving by.  
  
"You'd better watch your back, Kinomoto!" Densi said threateningly. "I've got my eye on you." With that, Densi walked away without hesitating to spare Kriee a devilish glare. She gulped before gripping her lunch back and going on her way.  
  
"Kriee!" a kinder voice shouted. "Kriee wait for me!" Kriee turned around and saw Peko running down the hallways waving her arm wildly in the air with her other busy trying not to drop her lunch pail. Her words were distorted by a snack candy sticking out of her mouth. Kriee stopped and waited patiently for her to catch up.  
  
"Rumor has it that you and my brother really hit it off," she said winking.  
  
"Kaneda? He just offered me a ride when I missed my bus."  
  
"Sure, sure," she sighed, shoving the rest of the candy bar into her mouth and finishing it off. They walked in silence until they reached the courtyard. Kriee sat on the bench even though there were plenty of spots left in other tables. Peko took pity and left her usual table of friends and sat next to her.  
  
"Kaneda-kun's not here yet," Kriee pointed out.  
  
"Oh!" Peko said expectantly. She peeked at her watch and looked to a particular door on the opposite side of the courtyard. "His last class before lunch is pre-philosophy. He should be coming out the door right about.  
  
"Get back here!" a young man shouted. There was a group of about twenty pre- philosophy students running madly chasing after one student.  
  
"Face us, Kaneda!" another shouted. At the head of the giant chase scene was Asura, running panicked through the picnic tables.  
  
"Not again!" Kriee heard a girl shout as the shuffling of students made her lunch fall on her lap.  
  
"What happened?" Kriee yelled over the ruckus.  
  
"It's probably just some stupid true comment he made during class. He really has to learn to keep quite over sensitive matters." Kriee watched, becoming slightly amused as Asura tried every trick in the book to calm down and lose the mob.  
  
"So what was the fight over this time," Kriee asked.  
  
"Who knows," Peko shrugged while shoving a sandwich triangle into her mouth. Finally, he outran the group and dashed up to Kriee and Peko.  
  
"Art room in five," he panted, and then rushed off. Peko picked up her lunch box and stood up.  
  
"We'd better get going," she sighed. "He's a fast runner." Kriee didn't bother asking any more questions, seeing as though this was a regular happening in her new school. She followed after Peko, who was now keeping up a steady jog up the steps. At the end of the staircase, there was the art wing. Peko walked into one of the rooms and looked at her watch again. As soon as she looked away, the door opened and Asura hopped in.  
  
"What was it this time?" Peko sighed. "Promotion of abortion? How suicide might help the population problem?"  
  
"Hey," he panted, pointing at Peko, "it's no fault of mine if they don't share the same views I do." She rolled her eyes and ate another sandwich triangle. Asura mumbled something under his breath as he opened his lunch box and pulled out a sandwich similar to Peko's.  
  
"So, are you studying philosophy?" Kriee asked.  
  
"Yes. It's a rather interesting topic, if the teacher would only listen to me." He took a bite. "When I get into college I plan to be a philosophy major. I think I might be a psychologist or something." There was another short pause as the group ate their food.  
  
"What are you doing in my class?" Kriee and the others looked up and saw their boldly dressed whimsical art teacher look at them suspiciously.  
  
"Running," Peko mumbled. The teacher, who was known as Ms. Iavata, gave Asura a sad face.  
  
"You should quit running from you problems! Face them, and you will succeed!" she said optimistically. Asura cracked a smile and nodded.  
  
"That's what your fortune cookie said yesterday."  
  
"You take art, too?" Kriee asked.  
  
"Painting IV," he explained. "It's okay." There was another break of silence as Ms. Iavata studied some of her students artwork. Suddenly, the bell rang, and Kriee jumped at the loud shrill the sound made.  
  
"Already?" Peko sighed. Asura shoved the rest of his food into his mouth at once and swallowed it at once.  
  
"I have to go," he said. "Later Kinomoto. Same place after school?"  
  
"Oh, sure," she said quietly. He nodded absentmindedly and tried to slither through the halls unnoticed.  
  
"I need to get to class, too," Peko sighed. Kriee had art after lunch, so she had no need to move. She folded up her lunch box and put it back in her bag. Without bothering for further instruction from her art teacher, she grabbed the picture she started yesterday on her own while the other students still struggled over how to make the shades smoother.  
  
Before Kriee knew it, it was time for gym. She stood in front of the girl's locker room debated whether she should go in or find somewhere to hide for the rest of the period.  
  
"Kinomoto!" she heard someone call from behind her. She turned slowly just as Asura approached her. He handed her a plastic bag with what looked like fabric inside. "Here's the uniform I promised you. You'd better hurry up and change, you only got a few minutes."  
  
"Right. You need to changed, too," she added as she walked into the locker room. "Thank you!" Asura nodded to himself and walked into the gym. Kriee rushed to her gym locker and carefully spun the combination. As she opened the door, she took off her clothes and shoved them into the small storeroom. The clothes that Asura gave her were slightly larger than what she was used to. It was a white cotton t-shirt with black pants that sagged to her knees.  
  
"Nice uniform," one of the girls told her as she walked out. Kriee noticed she was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with black biker shorts. As a matter of fact, all the girls were dressed like this. Without a second thought, Kriee left the locker room into the gym. It was just like yesterday. All of the children were sitting on the floor and all looked the same with their white shirts and black pants, except for one.  
  
"Kaneda-kun?" Kriee asked loudly. Asura glanced at her, then moved his head and smiled.  
  
"Look at the freak!" another girl shouted. The class all turned their heads and laughed, except for a few in the back who didn't seem to care. Kriee blushed violently and rushed to her spot.  
  
"She's a cross dresser now!" a guy sitting next to her told his girl friends.  
  
"You'd better stay away from her," and student chided. "You can't trust a girl like that."  
  
"Kaneda! Kinomoto!" the coach yelled from in front of the class. Kriee didn't even notice him enter from his office today. "Why aren't you dressed properly for gym class today?"  
  
"Kriee has not yet acquired a gym uniform," Asura informed. "I just let her borrow mine so she could participate in class easier today."  
  
"You do realize that even though you helped her, she still deserves an extra lap while running today for wearing the wrong uniform." He didn't bother to give Kriee a horrible satisfied glance before hearing Asura's reply.  
  
"Yes, sir," he said sharply. "I understand." With that, the class stood up and walked to the track. Kriee rushed up to Asura.  
  
"You didn't have to do that. I would have been fine running in my uniform today."  
  
"Listen, I've already told you not to worry about these things," he said kindly. "I'll be fine today." With that, he rushed ahead of her with the other kids who had already started running. Kriee started out with a medium- paced jog so she wouldn't strain herself in the very beginning. After two laps, she felt like she was doing okay for her first full track run. It was obvious that she would finish last, but at least she would finish. As she rounded the corner, she heard a group of kids running from behind her. As they passed, one of them stayed near her. He was a boy, a little taller than she was, but not as tall as Asura. His hair was black with bleached white bangs, but when he turned to face her, his eyes were the prettiest blue she'd ever seen.  
  
"You're Kinomoto, right?" he asked, slowing down so she could catch up. "That's right," Kriee said cautiously.  
  
"You're good friends with Kaneda, right?"  
  
"Well, I've only known him for a day," she said sheepishly.  
  
"Lucky bastard," he laughed to himself. "So, what grade are you in?"  
  
"I'm just a freshman."  
  
"Really? I'm a sophomore myself. In my opinion, freshman year was the best year of my life."  
  
"Speak for yourself," Kriee said back. "I've been nothing but humiliated the entire time I've been here. I'd much rather continue being home- schooled by Tomoyo-san." Kriee heard another set of feet approach from behind her. Asura suddenly approached between her and the boy.  
  
"Are you okay?" he panted. "Is he causing any trouble?"  
  
"No, not at all," Kriee answered cheerfully. Asura turned towards the boy, his amber eyes clashing with his blue ones, and then ran off.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "I don't think I caught your name."  
  
"I'm known around here as Yoshida Roku."  
  
"NO TALKING!" coach hollered. "Don't think I didn't catch that, Kinomoto!" Kriee cringed as she sped up. She still had to do one more lap than everyone else. Finally, she completed her fourth lap and began her fifth. Asura was already halfway done with his extra round. Kriee was exhausted, she felt like she would faint all over again. Her paced jog turned into a slow walk. Her heart was pacing so hard she felt like it would leap out of her throat if it had the chance. She stopped for a moment and kneeled on the turf. She gasped loudly and tried to catch her breath.  
  
"Are you okay?" Asura said from behind her. He had already finished his lap and even made the extra attempt to catch up to her. "Don't think you have to finish if you don't want to. I can handle things here if you want to go to the hospital wing."  
  
"No!" Kriee said abruptly. "I am going to finish this." She stood up and tried to start jogging again. She did her best to ignore the stabbing pain in her side with every step she took. Asura seemed to be walking casually next to her while Kriee could hardly move. She only had half a track left before she was finished. The rest of the class was sitting in the sun looking up at the clouds. Some were picking blades of grass off the ground and peeling them apart. The coach didn't seem to care, however. He was keeping his mind busy by watching Kriee teetering on failure for a second time. She watched him happily, seeing his face slowly turn to a frown the further she traveled. Now she had only a quarter left to go. The closer she got to the starting line painted on the track, the faster she seemed to walk.  
  
"You're doing great," Asura said. "Keep on going." Finally, Kriee broke out into an all-out sprint.  
  
"Go Kriee!" Peko shouted from behind the fence. Kriee wondered how long she had been watching. She kept on running until the finish line was ten meters away; five; two; she did it. She finally finished. Then everything turned black again. 


	7. Clow Blood and Cardcaptor Blood Reign

Great. I really try to update on a regular basis. I also need to re-update some of the chapters. I really don't know what's going on, but some of my old chapters aren't coming up quite right.  
  
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Kriee woke up feeling the turf under her body and the sun on her face. She twitched her eyes over and saw Asura, Peko, and Roku standing over her. Instantly, she shot up and panted heavily.  
  
"Not again!" she cried. "How long was I out?"  
  
"Only ten seconds," Roku answered. She looked over and saw the rest of the class still sitting in the grass as if nothing happened. The coach decided to ignore her as soon as she fell. When she returned her attention to her friends, both Roku and Asura had their hands reached down offering their help. There seemed to be a sense of tension between the two that Kriee missed as she grabbed of their hands. They both reluctantly pulled her up together.  
  
"Which is quite and improvement from yesterday!" Peko added happily. She broke the strange silence between the two boys.  
  
"What happened yesterday?"  
  
"Kriee fainted and I saved her," Asura answered harshly. "Kriee, I think we should go back into the gym." He started walking away and Kriee looked back at Roku and Peko. Peko, who was behind Roku at the time, shrugged and motioned her to go. After walking for a few moments, Kriee turned her head again to make sure that Roku was a respectable distance away.  
  
"Why were you so rude to him?" Kriee asked.  
  
"I don't like him," he answered coolly.  
  
"Why not? He seems nice."  
  
"Can't trust him." Kriee shot a disgruntled look at him as they entered the gymnasium. The rush of cold air from the air conditioning was a pleasant surprise and felt good after running in the hot sun. "I'll get you some water. The class should be inside any minute now." While he left the gym to the hallway where the water fountain was, the rest of the class pounded through the doors and nearly bulldozed her down as they went to get water as well. As the cloud of students faded into the hallway, Asura stood alone on the opposite side of the gym with his shirt soaking wet and a paper cup smashed on the ground. Kriee tried to suppress a laugh as he looked with pity upon the broken cup and the contents that had splattered on his shirt.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked between snickers. Asura sighed and threw the cup away. Before he could return to Kriee, the bell had rung once again, and gym class was over.  
  
"Finally!" Kriee said happily. "I thought today would never end!"  
  
She walked out of the school between Asura and Peko. Her arms were swung casually behind her head as they made their way to the parking lot.  
  
"Are you taking the bus today?" Asura asked Peko.  
  
"No, me and Densi are going through a rough spot. Apparently she thinks I'm some sort of evil sprite and she thinks I always act like a bar's been shoved up my-"  
  
"ANYways," Asura said loudly. "What about you?"  
  
"Well," Kriee said embarrassingly, "I was kind of hoping I could get a ride from you."  
  
Asura cut though Kriee and Peko and lovingly wrapped his arms around the two's shoulders. "Did you hear that," he directed towards Peko. "She wants me to drive." Quickly, dipped his hand into Peko's purse and pulled out the keys to her car.  
  
"Give those back!" she shouted. Before she could catch him, Asura was already far ahead of her.  
  
The three of them walked into the car, but Kriee took the backseat this time. She assured herself that the only was to enter a car, convertible or not, was by opening the door. As they were driving down the highway back to where Kriee supposed they lived.  
  
"Where do we go?" Asura asked suddenly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Where do we go to get to your house," he said sarcastically slow. "Where do you live?"  
  
"Oh!" Kriee shouted. It was hard to hear from the wind whipping their ears. "Turn here!" she yelled, pointing to the dirt road that they had almost passed. Asura performed a U-turn that only a master driver could ever do. A car that was trailing behind him stopped less than an inch away from Peko's car. Despite this near miss, the group made it to the old dirt road safely.  
  
"That was a miracle!" Kriee shouted from the back seat. She sat up and looked behind her where the car that nearly ran their bumper was honking his horn off.  
  
"A miracle, yes," Peko hissed, glaring as Asura who gulped nervously. She diverted her attention to a huge wooden cabin trailing off the street. "Geesh! Look at the size of that place!"  
  
"That's home!" Kriee said happily. Asura drove up the driveway and stopped. There was an old, rusty looking foreign car in the parking lot right in front of them. "That must be Touya!" she said happily. Kriee fiddled with the handle of the car before it opened and rushed out. "Thanks for giving me a ride!"  
  
Before waiting for a reply, she ran up to her the front door and flung it open. She marched down the marble hall into the atrium.  
  
"Oji Touya!" she shouted. An old man whose back was faced away from her turned around slowly, but was instantly hit in the neck by Kriee. He had the same face, save for a few wrinkles, and his hair was turning gray in the back. She hugged him so tight that he probably would have died if she hadn't noticed the other body sitting on the couch opposite of him. "Yukito!" she said happily. He smiled in response. He wore glasses with thin, silver frames. His hair was also slowly graying, but it was hard to tell against his silver hair.  
  
"Yeah. I invited him with me," Touya said dully. He took another sip of his coffee and placed it on the table in front of him. Her eyes gleamed with happiness as they trailed down from the smiling face of Yukito to a brightly wrapped present on the coffee table.  
  
"Is that for me?" she gasped. Touya took it up from the table and tossed it to her.  
  
"Sure. Happy birthday," he sighed. There was a small card taped on it that merely said 'From: Touya and Yuki.' Kriee opened the lid to the box carefully and was shocked to find a small stuffed. something inside.  
  
"A teddy bear?" she asked with dismay. "Oji, don't you think I'm a little old for stuffed toys?"  
  
"We thought you like teddy bears," Yuki commented. For a moment Kriee though she saw the bear twitch. It had big ears with a long tail resembling that of a lion. 'At least it's yellow,' Kriee mumbled to herself.  
  
"Kriee, you should be thankful for your gift," Tomoyo said, walking out of the kitchen from behind her with a fresh pot of tea. Touya gave Kriee a smart look until she added, "No matter how late it is." She poured the tea into Touya and Yuki's cups and walked over to Kriee. "What did you get?" she asked. Kriee leaned the box over so she could see what was inside.  
  
"It's just a toy," she sighed. Upon seeing the 'teddy bear,' Tomoyo gasped and dropped the ceramic tea kettle, shattering to pieces when it hit the ground. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Oh, I'm fine. Why don't you go upstairs and put your present away while I have this cleaned up?" Kriee nodded and left the room. Tomoyo didn't act until she heard the steps of Kriee walking up the stairs. Instantly, she turned to Touya, who was casually drinking from his tea again. "What's wrong? Is something bad happening?" she asked.  
  
Touya took another sip and continued. "Yukito thinks so."  
  
"I've been having this strange feeling lately. It's about the cards though. Touya and I were going to observe from here, since Tokyo seems to be the place where my sense is strongest," Yuki explained.  
  
"You're going to be living here?"  
  
"Goodness, no. Touya and I will be renting an apartment near here, however, so we'll be close in case anything does happen."  
  
"You still have the book right?" Touya asked. "And the key?"  
  
"Of course. I have the book locked up in my library. Kriee wears the key every day as a charm."  
  
"That good. At least we haven't lost anything," Touya snuffed.  
  
"Is this thing you sense," she told towards Yukito, "what could have made Sakura and Syaoran disappear like that?"  
  
"It might," Yukito said calmly, taking yet another sip of tea. "That's why we sent Kero to talk to her. Whenever she's alone, we asked her to talk to her."  
  
"You mean she's going to find out about her mother?" Before Yuki or Touya could answer, a loud shriek emitted from upstairs. There was a blur of brown hair and plaid uniform falling down the stairs and sprinting behind Tomoyo.  
  
"Ma-chan!" Kriee cried. "The teddy bear talked to me! It moved!" Touya and Yuki didn't seem so surprised, but Tomoyo was worried trying to consol her. A small yellow bear floated softly down the stairs and in front of Tomoyo. "It flies!"  
  
"Hello Daidouji," Kero said happily.  
  
"Kero-chan!" Tomoyo shouted. She jumped up and hugged the diminutive form of Sakura's sun guardian.  
  
"Y-you [i]know[/i] him?"  
  
"He belonged to Sakura," Touya sighed.  
  
"My mom?"  
  
"My mistress, yes," Kero answered.  
  
"It talked again!" Kriee yelled, throwing the box he was wrapped in at his head. Kero dodged the attack with ease and slowly lowered himself on the back of the couch Touya sat on.  
  
"First of all," he said with a hint of aggravation, "I am the guardian beast of the seal. I go by the name Kerberos, but you can call me Kero, if you want."  
  
"K- Kero?"  
  
"That's right," he said slowly, congratulating her as if she were a small child.  
  
"What s- seal?" she stuttered. Kero paused for a moment, then looked towards Yuki.  
  
"You haven't told her yet?" he growled. Yuki looked up innocently, then his eyes shut and his head limped down like a rag doll. He was lifted from his seat with an eerie glow escaping his back. Huge wings sprouted from his back, knocking over a lamp that sat peacefully on the table next to him. The wings wrapped around his body, cocooning himself inside. The light died down as soon as it started, and the wings let go of Yukito, leaving someone else behind.  
  
"You must forgive my friend," he said numbingly. His arms were wrapped coldly around his chest as if he didn't give a care for staying in Tomoyo's house at the moment. "He's been in rest for the past three years." He moved his head of to the side, letting his long silver hair shift softly. The clothes he wore looked like something from a romantic, historic, fantasy movie. His robes were delicately fitted and were sewn with the finest of shimmering white fabric Kriee had ever seen.  
  
"Do you mind me asking who you are?" Kriee said quickly and silently. The being shifted his eyes revealing their cat-like demeanor.  
  
"I am Yue."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"No, Yue," he repeated, still showing little emotion. Kriee nodded slowly and gaped her mouth open, about to say something, but then shut it again.  
  
"I suppose you want to know why were here," he sighed.  
  
"It would help a lot, yes," she squeaked.  
  
"Your mother was a Card Captor. When she was young, younger than you, she harvested great magic to help her in capturing the cards when they were released from their book when it's seal broke."  
  
"If Kero is the guardian of the seal, then why did the seal break?" she asked. Kero shuttered for a moment, then he finished the story.  
  
"Her magic was what opened the seal, not my recklessness, if that's what you're thinking. The maker of these magic cards-"  
  
"They're magic?"  
  
"Yes! -Did you tell her nothing?- The cards were made hundreds of years ago by the sorcerer Clow Reed. Each card contained a particular power that harnessed a certain element or ability. Sakura, your mother, was the chosen one to capture them all, which she did and returned them back to their book, which what helmed them. However, not long after you were born. Something bad happened to her and she disappeared. along with the gaki."  
  
"He was not a gaki!" Tomoyo cut in. She turned to Kriee with a look of sympathy. "You father, who will be called Syaoran, not 'gaki,' was a distant relative of Clow Reed."  
  
"So, you have the blood of a Card Captor and of Clow Reed himself in you!" Kero said proudly.  
  
"What does that have to do with anything? What was that you said about my parents [i]disappearing[/i]? I thought they died when their car veered off a bridge."  
  
"That was just a cover," Tomoyo said sadly. "When you were young, we didn't want to put the burden and the trust on you."  
  
"We didn't want you telling all your friends that you were a Card Captor," Yue said blatantly.  
  
"So. How did they disappear?"  
  
"We're still trying to figure that out," Kero admitted. He floated off the couch in front of Kriee so they were at eye-level. "Honestly, Tomoyo was the only one that saw it happen." Kriee, taken by surprise, whipped her head around to her step-mother and begged for answers.  
  
"I can't really remember it that well. There were trees vanishing, and then Sakura was gone in a flash of red light, and suddenly the trees returned to where they were. It's like whoever, or whatever, took Sakura and Li wasn't after anything but them."  
  
"So, you have a feeling that whoever caused this is returning."  
  
"Yes. It's very faint, but there seems to be an uprising since your magic began to awaken," Yue commented.  
  
"But I haven't felt anything. I don't know what it's like to have magic!"  
  
"We know, you just need some practice," Touya said.  
  
"But what if I don't want to?"  
  
"It's really all your choice, I guess," Yue exhaled. "We can't do this without you."  
  
"What is it exactly that you want me to do?"  
  
"We need you to practice your magic on a regular basis so when the enemy magic arrives, you'll be ready. We believe that if this force is destroyed, your parents might return if their life force wasn't disturbed," said Kero.  
  
"They're still alive," Yue commented indefinitely. Kero harrumphed and Touya chuckled. He loved it, although he knew it was wrong, whenever Kero was mistaken.  
  
"How do I fight?"  
  
"You're choosing all the right questions," Yue said. It was awkward receiving a comment from him, since he seemed to be so uptight and rigid. "That must be the Clow in your blood. You will fight using your wand and cards. We will teach you the incantations you will need to know to awaken the cards and use them for your defense."  
  
"That is, if you'll let us," Kero added. It was now when Kriee noticed that everyone seemed to have moved across from her and were now looking at her, as if begging to say yes.  
  
"I- I suppose so."  
  
"Great!" Kero said blissfully, breaking the stiffness that Kriee was showing. "Tomoyo-san, you still have the book, right?"  
  
"Oh, yes, I've kept it in the library. I'll go get it now," she answered and then left the room down the same hallway that led to the library.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't know what I've gotten myself in to," Kriee admitted warily. "Of course you haven't," Yue muttered, obviously being the only one who had heard her, "however I promise you won't regret it." His head flexed backward again and the wings wrapped around his body. As the angelic wings faded away, Yukito remained unharmed, but somewhat fazed at the events.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Kriee knows now. She's willing to help us," Touya stated, taking the finishing sip of his tea.  
  
"That's good," Yuki said calmly. He sat down and started drinking his tea as if nothing had happened. Kriee sat on one of the less comfortable chair and looked from Yuki to Touya, and then to Kero who was munching on a pile of cookies that was placed on coffee table.  
  
"Sweets!" he gurgled happily as he downed one after the other. 


	8. The Morning After

Geesh! Has it really been this long since I've updated??? I'm really really sorry everyone, but I've still been working on this story! So far, I'm on chapter 15 with 82 pages! I've also started an Inuyasha story, The Deep South, so review if you can!  
  
Kriee had a hard time going to sleep. The conversation of passing information went on until late in the evening, so Tomoyo demanded that they spend the night. Kriee couldn't help herself but call Yukito the same even though in his magical form much rather preferred to be called 'Yue.' She sat in her bed, looking up at the ceiling, although it always led her eyes to the small shelf over her bed where that strange teddy bear rested.  
  
"Kero-chan?" she asked, mostly to make sure he was asleep or not. The toy made a muffled snort signaling for her to continue. "What did you like most about my mom?" She was surprised to see his small, round head stick out from over her bed. His face reflected the moonlight coming out of her drawn windows.  
  
"Sakura? She was very kind and generous. She didn't know the meaning of the words 'too much.' She was always willing to do whatever it took to make those closest to her happy. Every minute with her was fun. I can't remember one moment when I was with her that I was sad," he sighed. Kriee was surprised about this supposed great beast acting like a small child reflecting lost memories of his own mother. Of course, he never had parents, save for Clow, but she enjoyed listening to him talk. He had a younger, wiser brother vibe about him that gave Kriee that sense that she could tell him anything.  
  
"Do you think I'm like her?"  
  
"I don't think it's my place to say so." There was a short pause before Kriee heard Kero shuffle back to his small nest he made from a hat and tea cozy Tomoyo let him borrow. After about ten minutes, his breathing regulated in a soft, even pace. She knew he was asleep by now.  
  
"Kero-chan?" she repeated, just to make sure. There was no response. "I'm really, really glad you're here."  
  
Kriee woke up early to take her shower, since she obviously didn't have time to do so last night. She groggily stumbled into the shower and turned the water on. At first it was cold, sending stunted chills down her spine and through her neck. Then, it turned blazing hot, sending all bitterness away. She suddenly got into much better mood as the hundreds of thousands of drops soaked up in her hair. She finished soon enough, turning the water down and snatching her towel from the wrack. As soon as the excess dampness was gone, she wrapped the pink towel around her head like a turban. It used to be white, until one of Kriee's red shirts got mixed in during the wash. She reached for her robe which hung on the back of the door, but it wasn't there.  
  
"Stupid laundry day!" Kriee sighed, remembering that she usually didn't take showers in the morning, so her only bath robe was somewhere in the wash cycle. She unwrapped her hair and rewrapped her towel around her waste. Another fetish Kriee had about her bathing rituals was that she always had to wait a half hour before her hair was damp enough to dry with the hair dryer. She stumbled down the carpeted staircase in hopes to get to Tomoyo's room so she could borrow her housecoat. However, halfway down the tread, she stopped dead in her tracks. There was someone in the atrium. Someone who didn't belong here. She turned her head slowly to the side and saw Tomoyo talking with that someone.  
  
"Oh, there she is!" Tomoyo said happily, but instantly covered her mouth when she saw what Kriee was wearing.  
  
"Kaneda?" Kriee screamed louder than necessary. He was already staring at her, smiling peacefully as if nothing was different or out of pace. Kriee panicked and grabbed her towel that barely fit properly tighter at her chest and where it overlapped between her legs. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I had to get to school a little earlier today. I didn't know I was interrupting anything," he commented, gesturing towards her nearly naked body. Kriee squeaked in distress and ran back upstairs.  
  
"You must forgive her," Tomoyo said calmly. "She can sometimes be a little particular about her looks." Asura smiled and returned his glance back to the staircase.  
  
"She really shouldn't," he replied. Peko walked in the atrium from the kitchen, munching on a croissant and sipping a cup of tea.  
  
"This is really good," she commented. "Do you have any more?" Tomoyo smiled warmly.  
  
"Your always hungry, aren't you?" she laughed. Peko's eyes jolted from Asura back to Tomoyo, who was already on her way back to the kitchen to fetch her another pastry. She smiled sheepishly and followed her into the other room. Asura sighed and returned his eyes to the staircase. A few minutes later, Kriee came rushing down the stairs again. When she reached the base, she clicked her heels together and sprouted her wheels. She sped past Asura and into the kitchen. She grabbed a waffle from a platter and continued out the door.  
  
"Kriee, no skating in the house!" she called after her, but Peko rushed past her with another croissant in her mouth plus one in her hand.  
  
"Arrigato Daidouji-san!" she shouted as she dodged the swinging dining room door and caught up with Asura who was trying to keep up with Kriee. She skidded out to their car, but couldn't stop. She called out for a moment before she hit the side of the rusty black convertible.  
  
"Kriee! Are you okay?" Asura shouted after her. She fell to knees, but kept her balance by gripping to the door.  
  
"I'm fine. I just need more practice," she grumbled.  
  
The drive to school was anything but eventful. Peko started up a game of 'pick a car.' Asura steadily turned up the stereo to drown her out while she shouted every time a blue motor vehicle drove by. When he drove into the parking lot, it was mostly empty, which reminded Kriee that Asura had to do something.  
  
"Why did you have to come to school so early?" she asked.  
  
"I promised my dad I'd help him move some new desks in his room. You can stay with Peko if you want." Kriee turned to Peko, who was already on her way to the snack machines.  
  
'Has she always eaten this much?' Kriee asked herself as she obligingly followed her. When they reached the snack machines, Peko happily picked out a honey bun and toaster pastry. They sat on the picnic tables while she ate her second breakfast, completely oblivious to the sticky residue she was leaving behind. There were a few students already at school participating in their morning clubs or getting an early start on their studies. Kriee sighed, knowing that it would be at least another forty-five minutes before school actually started. She looked disdainfully across the school until her eyes met those of another schoolmate.  
  
"Kinomoto-san! Kaneda-kun!" Roku called from across the courtyard. Peko took her eyes off her food and greeted Roku pleasantly. He walked up to their table and sat next to Kriee. "You didn't show up for archery this morning!" he spat in a friendly matter to Peko. She almost hacked on her food and looked shocked.  
  
"Geesh! I forgot! Sorry Yoshida-san!" she cried. She shoved the rest of her honey bun into her mouth.  
  
"We need your help restringing the bows for the competition today!" he reminded. Peko got up and wiped her hands a napkin.  
  
"Ja ne, Kriee. I gotta go help out. I'm in the archery club. I forgot there was a meeting this morning!" she turned around and started running towards the track.  
  
"She means well, but sometimes I wonder why she's always forgetting such important things."  
  
"Maybe she has something going on right now," Kriee suggested. Roku sighed and turned to face her.  
  
"Do you want to come? Maybe you can take a shot or two with the arrows." "I'd rather not. I'm sure I'm not a good archer, and you seem like you're busy." She started walking backward in the direction of first period. "I'll just go to my class and see if Kaneda-san needs any help setting up his father's classroom." Roku nodded and made his way back to the track where the archery sets must have been set up. Kriee gasped, realizing that she forgot to breath ever since Roku appeared. Trying her best not to let her mind wander, she skipped off to Kaneda sensei's room to help Asura. 


End file.
